Independent advertising agency Chemistry has promoted Renee Williams Royal to president of Test Tube Productions, its in-house, full-service production arm. In her new role, she will continue to lead the production division and oversee growth, offerings, and creative work for both agency and external clients. Williams Royal previously held the role of VP, head of production.
“Renee is an extremely unique and talented leader,” said Chemistry chairman and CEO, Ned Show. “To run a production company, you need to be, first and foremost, a creative problem solver; Renee is truly the best I’ve ever worked with. She is universally respected and admired inside the company and with every client she works with. Renee’s accomplishments since taking the helm at Test Tube Productions speak for themselves.”
Test Tube Productions handles all types of projects, from large-scale broadcast productions to experiential, social, and radio spots. Since joining the company in April 2022, Williams Royal has been instrumental in tripling the division’s revenue and adding significantly to its employee count. Under her leadership, the team launched a new social media content division within Test Tube, @TestTube, which handles all social content creation and management for GoTo Foods, the parent company of seven brands: Auntie Anne’s®, Carvel®, Cinnabon®, Jamba®, McAlister’s Deli®, Moe’s Southwest Grill®, and Schlotzsky’s®.
Williams Royal brings over a decade of industry experience from agencies including Huge, BBDO Atlanta, and Moxie. Her enthusiasm and commitment to DEI initiatives, mainly introducing those who may not have been exposed to a career path in advertising and production into the industry, has benefited the agency and its clients tremendously. Chemistry, which has pledged that the diversity of each of its five offices reflects the diversity in the corresponding cities, is much closer to reaching its goals with Williams Royal’s help. Test Tube Productions staff is 63% diverse and 72% female.
“I am extremely proud of our brilliant team of content creators, producers, editors, and project managers who have helped scale Test Tube Productions to what it is today,” said Williams Royal. “I’m grateful to step into this new role at such an exciting time for Test Tube as we continue to push creative boundaries and expand our capabilities.”
Harvey Weinstein hit with new sex crime charge in New York
Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a new sex crime charge in New York, as he awaits retrial in his landmark #MeToo case.
Details of the new allegations were not immediately available. He was charged with committing a criminal sex act.
The jailed ex-movie mogul has long maintained that any sexual activity was consensual.
Prosecutors revealed last week that Weinstein had been indicted on additional sex crime charges that weren't part of the case that led to his now-overturned 2020 conviction. But the new indictment was sealed until his arraignment.
Prosecutors have said that the grand jury heard evidence of up to three alleged assaults — two in hotels in the Tribeca neighborhood and one at a lower Manhattan residential building. The purported incidents took place from the mid-2000s to 2016, prosecutors said.
But it's not clear whether any of those allegations underlie the new indictment.
While bracing for the new charges, Weinstein also is awaiting retrial after New York state's highest court this spring overturned his 2020 conviction on rape and sexual assault charges involving two women. The high court, called the Court of Appeals, ordered a new trial, which is tentatively scheduled to begin Nov. 12.
The Court of Appeals ruled that the then-trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against him based on allegations that were not part of the case. That judge's term expired in 2022, and he is no longer on the bench.
Prosecutors have said they'll seek to fold the new charges into the retrial, but Weinstein's lawyers say it should be a separate case.
Weinstein, who also was convicted in 2022 in a Los Angeles rape case, remains behind bars while awaiting his New York retrial.
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